Amiga Anywhere-compatible devices

The primary argument for using and developing for the Amiga Anywhere digital environment is the ability to use the same software on devices that use different architectures, processors and are intended for different purposes. It should be possible to run an Amiga Anywhere game on any operating system if the Tao intent virtual machine has been ported to that environment. This page outlines the hardware on which the Amiga Anywhere/Amiga DE software has been demonstrated.

Video demonstrations

Sharp Zaurus
Psion netBook
Compaq iPAQ
Vadem Clio
IPM-Net's Myfriend
Gateway Connected Touch Pad
o2 Windows Pocket XDA

Show Demonstrations

StrongARM-based laptop
Sega Dreamcast
LSI Logic set-top box
Armed Computing Prospector
StrongARM-based handheld
200MHz mobile gaming platform
MTV set-top box

Sharp Zaurus

In an handheld market dominated by Palm and Windows platforms, Sharp introduced the Linux-based Zaurus SL-5000. Launched in Japan in December 2000 for the equivalent of $475 US dollars, the Zaurus was the first handheld designed to appeal to the consumer market. The Zaurus boasted functionality considered extraordinary - MP3 playback, MPEG-4 movie decoder, and hand-writing recognition. It also offered e-mail and Internet connectivity when connected to an NTT DoCoMo cellular modem card. It won numerous computing awards from the computing industry, most notably being declared the 'Most Excellent Product' (sic) of 2001 by Japanese magazine, 'Business Computer News'.

On April 1st 2001, Sharp were announced as the third Amiga Inc. partner. In a press announcement, Amiga Inc. indicated they would develop AmigaDE-based 'content' for the American launch of the Sharp E1-M1.

In an interview, Hiroshi Uno, general manager of Sharp's mobile systems division, indicated the company intended to sell 1 million PDAs worldwide in one year. To gain a significant share of the PDA market the company has announced several partnerships, including Amiga Inc, to produce cross-platform solutions for the device. The developer release features the ARM Linux 2.4.6 kernel, with Russell King's patches and Nicolas Pitre's StrongARM patches. The embedded Linux GUI derivative, TrollTech's Qt Palmtop Environment (QPE) is also used, providing graphical features on the tiny display. For synchronizing with Windows PCs the Qt Palmtop Center and Intellisync has been provided, allowing the user to sync with MS Outlook. Insignia Solution's Jeode, an implementation of Sun's PersonalJava, is also offered.

In their press release, Amiga Inc. indicated that they would be developing 'new content or adapt existing content for PDA applications' in the American market. However, the delayed development of the Amiga DE forced Sharp to abandon their plans to bundle the Amiga software. Although it remains possible to reflash the device to use Amiga software, its absence in the final version has sacraficed a potentially lucrative market and will place greter emphasis upon Amiga Inc's relationship with Microsoft to gain market dominance.

Unfortunately the Sharp Zaurus deal was abandoned, allegedly as a result of Amiga Inc's inability to produce the software support in the required timeframe. Though a disk image can be flashed to the Zaurus, allowing owners to play Amiga games, it has largely been ignored by the mainstream user.

Relevant Pages
Zaurus SL-5000 Announcement | Zaurus SL-5000 Specifications | Zaurus Elate screenshots

Screenshots
An Amiga game running on the Zaurus (24k)

External Links
Linux Devices review of the SL-5000 Developer version
InfoSync review of the SL-5000D

Psion netBook

Psion was revealed as the fourth PDA developer to licence to Amiga DE on April 1, 2001. It was soon apparent the partnership was an April fools joke played on Amiga Inc. - Psion announced they were exiting the consumer PDA market a few months later. The Psion-Amiga deal may be nonexistent, but it does not prevent the Amiga DE being run on Psion handhelds in an unofficial capacity. The Psion series 7 uses the EPOC operating system, running on the StrongARM SA1100 processor.

Fleecy Moss mentions the Psion deal
Watch Amiga DE running on the Psion Series 7 (MPEG1, 1.7MB)
Geek.com's review of the Series 7

Compaq iPaq

The Compaq iPaq series is a multimedia-centric PDA with limited expansion capabilities. The series is designed around the Intel Strong ARM 32-bit processor and offers the standard Windows for Pocket PC software - Pocket Outlook, Internet Explorer, Word, Excel and Media Player.

Handhelds.org Compaq page
Watch Amiga DE running on the Compaq iPAQ (MPEG1, 2.6MB)

Vadem Clio

The Clio is a Windows CE based mobile PC that can perform three functions - it can be a conventional laptop, a tablet or a presentation display. The device is powered by an 84 mhz NEC Vr4111 MIPS processor, with 16MB RAM. The unique design was provided by Frog Design - a company many Amiga owners will remember for their work on the Amiga Mind Walker project. Pen Computing describe the Clio as "one of the most stunning computer designs to appear in a very long time. It looks like nothing else and may just be the beginning of a new class of computers."

Watch Amiga DE running on the Vadem Clio (MPEG1, 1.68MB)
Vadem web site
FrogDesign on the Vadem Clio
Pen Computing review

IPM-Net's Myfriend

The IPM-Net Myfriend is a portable eBook reader designed around the MIPS RISC R3000 processor. The eBook functionality is provided through use of Microsoft Reader, running on the Windows CE 3.0 operating system. The device offered significantly better screen resolution and more memory in comparison to similar devices at the time of release. However, this came at a price of 1,200 US dollars on release.

Watch Amiga DE running on the IPM-Net Myfriend (MPEG1, 1.53MB)
Myfriend System specifications
Electronic Webs review of the Myfriend

Gateway Connected Touch Pad

The 'Gateway Connected Touch Pad' is the product of the technology investigation performed by the Amiga subsidiary at Gateway and, in many ways, may be considered a descendent of the cancelled Amiga MCC project. The iApplicance is built around a 400 MHz Transmeta 3200 processor, 128MB RAM and 32MB CompactFlash storage memory and comes installed with Mobile Linux version 2.4. Internet connectivity is provided through AOL, providing a safe haven for Internet newcomers away from the scarier sections of the Internet (comp.sys.amiga.advocacy). The machine was dropped after Gateway management lost faith in the convergence maket. Unfortunately, Gateway no longer sell the device, so they are increasingly difficult to locate.

Watch Amiga DE running on the Gateway Touch Pad (MPEG1, 1.59MB)
iAppliance Web review the Touch Pad
Transmeta Zone: The Gateway Touch Pad Revisited

o2 Windows Pocket XDA

Bill McEwen announced a version of the Amiga Anywhere would be released for the o2 XDA at the AmiWest 2002 show (29th July, 2002). The Windows Pocket 2002 XDA - the version of the XDA to which he was referring - had the following specification:

ZDNet Review of the XDA

Strong ARM-based laptop

Bill McEwen demonstrated a touchscreen laptop, manufactured by ARM running the Amiga DE (called AMIE at the time). Press reports suggest it was designed by Mick Tinker of BoXeR fame.

CUCUG, The Status Register August, 2000 - Show report

Sega Dreamcast

An early development version of the AMIE operating environment (later called Amiga Anywhere) was demonstrated on the Sega Dreamcast at the Java One show in 2000. Tao-Group announced support of the Hitachi SH-4 processor - the CPU used by the Dreamcast - in a March 1999 announcement.

Tao's Engine for Running JavaTM Technology now available on Hitachi, MIPS and NEC Processors (archive.org)

LSI Logic set-top box

Amiga Inc. allegedly used their contacts made through Tao-Group to demonstrate an early version of the Amiga operating environment on an LSI Logic set-top box at the Java One conference, 2000.

Amiga President & CEO, Bill McEwen Interviewed on CNNfn

Armed Computing Prospector

Amiga Inc. demonstrated the AMIE operating environment running under Linux and Windows on Armed Computing's Prospector notebook and various non-descript x86 machines at the Java One conference in 2000.

Amiga President & CEO, Bill McEwen Interviewed on CNNfn

StrongARM-based Handheld

In a presentation for the Neuss show in 2000, Bill McEwen indicated a handheld device was in internal use to demonstrate the AMIE operating environment to interested parties. The device utilizes a StrongARM CPU running at 250 Mips, and includes a colour screen and Sony Memory Stick port. Bill McEwen boasted that this was developed in just one week.

200MHz mobile gaming platform

At the AmiWest 2001 show (July 28, 2001) in California, Bill McEwen announced an "extremely large, multi-billion dollar organisation" had contacted Amiga Inc. to discuss using the Amiga DE on a top-secret product. Although he would not name the company, he suggested the device specification would be somewhere between Nintendo's GameBoy Advance and a traditional game console. It would contain a 200MHz processor, "plenty of RAM", and a target price of under 200 US dollars.

MTV set-top box

In a Amiga UGN webcast at the AmiWest 2002 show (July 30th 2002), Bill McEwen indicated a deal had previously been struck with MTV to develop the Amiga DE for their set-top box. However, the market recession resulted in the set-top box being cancelled and the deal was abandoned.

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